Last screen rendering for electronic book reader

ABSTRACT

A handheld dedicated electronic book (“eBook”) reader device and last screen rendering techniques for enhancing user experience are described. The eBook reader device detects certain screen conversion events, such as a timeout period, a scheduled event, or an event derived from user behavior. Upon detection of such events, the eBook reader device renders, as the last screen image to remain visible after the user ceases using the device, an image that conveys to the user some meaningful association with a content item. In the context of eBooks, the eBook reader device renders a representation of the book cover as the last screen image. A progress indicator may further be included to represent user progress through the content item.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/567,984, filed on Sep. 28, 2009, the entirecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

A large and growing population of users is enjoying entertainmentthrough the consumption of digital media items, such as music, movies,images, electronic books, and so on. The users employ various electronicdevices to consume such media items. Among these electronic devices areelectronic book readers, cellular telephones, personal digital assistant(PDA), portable media players, tablet computers, netbooks, and the like.

One particular device that is gaining in popularity is the dedicatedelectronic book (“eBook”) reader device, which attempts to mimic theexperience of reading a conventional book through display of electronicinformation on one or more electronic displays. As the quantity ofavailable media content continues to grow, along with increasingproliferation of such dedicated devices to consume that media content,finding ways to enhance user experience continues to be a priority. AseBook reader devices continue to evolve, there remains a need forimproving a reader's ability to relate comfortably with the eBooks, andbegin to feel as though he is picking up the book itself, rather than ageneric electronic device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similaror identical components or features.

FIG. 1 illustrates one exemplary implementation of a handheld dedicatedelectronic book (“eBook”) reader device that implements last screenrendering techniques to leave a last screen image on the eBook readerdevice that is relevant to content that a user is presently consuming oris expected to consume next.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing selected components of the eBookreader device.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process forconverting a display of an eBook reader device from its current image toa last image that allows the eBook reader device to more readily conveyan identity of a content item.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for changing the displayof the eBook reader device to the last image based on time lapse sincethe user last interacted with the device.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for changing the displayof the eBook reader device to the last image in response to a scheduledscreen conversion event.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for changing the displayof the eBook reader device to the last image based on observed patternsin user behavior.

FIG. 7 shows a front plan view of the eBook reader device with a lastimage depicted on the display. The last image is modified to exhibituser progress through the content item represented by the last image.

FIG. 8 shows a front plan view of the eBook reader device with a lastimage depicted on the display, and accompanied by a progress indicatorin the form of a bar graph.

FIG. 9 shows a front plan view of the eBook reader device with a lastimage depicted on the display, and accompanied by a progress indicatorin the form of a pie graph.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure describes last screen rendering techniques to enhanceuser experience with a dedicated handheld electronic book (“eBook”)reader device. The eBook reader device is designed to allow users toread or otherwise consume electronic content (e.g., text, graphics,audio, multimedia, and the like), such as that found in eBooks (e.g.,books, magazines, newspapers, periodicals, or other types of electronicdocuments), RSS feeds, audio books, and the like. The eBook readerdevice described herein employs electronic paper (“ePaper”) displaytechnology. A characteristic of ePaper display technology is that thedisplay is bi-stable, meaning that it is capable of holding text orother rendered images even when very little or no power is supplied tothe display. Thus, the last screen image rendered on the display can bemaintained and visible for very long periods of time, such as days orweeks.

The techniques described herein enhance user experience by enabling theeBook reader device to render, as the last screen image to remainvisible after the user ceases using the device, an image that conveys tothe user some meaningful association with a content item. For instance,in the case of eBooks, the eBook reader device renders a representationof the book cover as the last screen image. In other scenarios, theeBook reader device determines, based on a schedule or past userbehavior, which content item the user is likely to consume next. Basedon this determination, the eBook reader device renders, as the lastscreen image that persists for long periods, a representation of thatcontent item that the user is likely to consume next. In this manner,the eBook reader device projects an identity of a content item, ratherthan as a generic electronic device.

For discussion purposes, the techniques are described in the context ofan eBook reader device used to facilitate reading of electronic books.However, the features discussed below may be applied to other contentitems, such as audio books, and so forth.

Illustrative Ebook Reader Device

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary eBook reader device 100 that is embodiedas a handheld, dedicated eBook reader device. The eBook reader device100 is equipped with a passive display 102 to present content in ahuman-readable format to a user. The content presented on the display102 may take the form of electronic books or “eBooks”. For example, thedisplay 102 depicts the text of the eBooks and also any illustrations,tables, or graphic elements that might be contained in the eBooks. Theterms “book” and/or “eBook”, as used herein, include electronic ordigital representations of printed works, as well as digital contentthat may include text, multimedia, hypertext, and/or hypermedia.Examples of printed and/or digital works include, but are not limitedto, books, magazines, newspapers, periodicals, journals, referencematerials, telephone books, textbooks, anthologies, instruction manuals,proceedings of meetings, forms, directories, maps, web pages, and soforth. Accordingly, the terms “book” and/or “eBook” may include anyreadable or viewable content that is in electronic or digital form.

The display 102 may further include touch screen capabilities that allowuser input through contact or gesturing relative to the display. Forconvenience only, the display 102 is shown in a generally rectangularconfiguration. However, it is understood that the display 102 may beimplemented in any shape, and may have any ratio of height to width.Also, for stylistic or design purposes, the touch-screen display 102 maybe curved or otherwise non-linearly shaped.

The eBook reader device 100 also has a keyboard 104 beneath the display102 and one or more actuatable controls 106 that may have dedicated orassigned operations. For instance, the actuatable controls 106 mayinclude page turning buttons, a joystick, navigational keys, a poweron/off button, selection keys, joystick, touchpad, and so on.

In FIG. 1, the display 102 is shown depicting a current page 108 of theeBook version of the work titled, “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell. Thisrepresents a point in time T₁ at which the user is actively readingthrough the eBook. The term “page” as used herein refers to a collectionof content that is presented at one time on the display 102. Thus, a“page” may be understood as a virtual frame of the content, or a visualdisplay window presenting the content to the user. Accordingly, “pages”as described herein are not fixed permanently, in contrast to the pagesof published “hard” books. Instead, pages described herein may beredefined or repaginated when, for example, the user chooses a differentfont or font size for displaying the content on the display 102.

The eBook reader device 100 has various internal electronic componentsand software modules, which include a last screen rendering module 110that is responsible for rendering the final image presented on thedisplay 102 after the user ceases reading the eBook. The last screenrendering module 110 may include a timer to track a time period from thelast user input. When a sufficient time period has lapsed, the module110 assumes that the user is likely to have ceased reading the eBook. Inresponse, the last screen rendering module 110 renders one more screenimage before entering a dormant or sleep mode. The last screen image ischosen to convey something meaningful about the eBook. In oneimplementation, the last screen image is a representation of the bookcover.

In FIG. 1, suppose that the last screen rendering module 110 determinesthat a sufficient time period has lapsed since the user has lastinteracted with the current page 108 in the “Outliers” book. The lastscreen rendering module 110 replaces the current page 108 with an imageof the book cover 112, as represented by the temporal lapse transition114. Thus, the book cover image 112 is depicted at a time T₂ after apredefined time lapse from the last user interaction.

As an alternative to time lapse, the last screen rendering module 110may further detect when the user proactively inputs a command totransition the eBook reader device 100 from an active state to anon-active state (e.g., sleep, rest, lower power level, etc.). The usermay, for example, input a command using a touch screen 102 (ifavailable), the keyboard 104, or actuatable controls 106 to “power down”or otherwise force the device 100 into a non-active state. In response,the last screen rendering module 110 may then convert the current page108 with the book cover image 112.

In another implementation, the last screen rendering module 110 mayfurther render a screen image of an eBook that the user is likely toconsume next. The last screen rendering module 110 may allow a user toschedule when it is likely to be reading certain works. For instance, astudent may enter her class schedule, and the last screen renderingmodule 110 renders images of book covers of the class texts the studentis likely to read during the course of the day. Alternatively, the lastscreen rendering module 110 may anticipate the next likely work based onpast user behavior. For instance, the user may exhibit a preference forhistorical novels in the evening and work-related books during the day.

In FIG. 1, this is illustrated by another transition 116 that occurswhen traversing a time or schedule boundary 118. These boundaries 118may be explicitly entered by the user, automatically retrieved from theuser's schedule (e.g., interacting with the user's calendar), or learnedfrom the user's behavior. Moreover, the user's schedule may be keptlocally on the device 102, or be kept remotely and hence be receivedfrom a remote source (e.g., another computer, server, etc.) over anetwork, such as a wireless network. When a boundary is reached, thelast screen rendering module 110 renders an image of the next eBook thatthe user is likely to read. In this illustration, the time boundaryrepresents an overnight transition to the morning timeframe, when theuser is likely to read the Bible. Thus, at time T₃, a cover image 120 ofthe Bible is represented on the display 102, replacing the previousimage of the “Outliers” book cover 112 that the user was reading theprevious evening

FIG. 2 illustrates selected functional components that might beimplemented within the eBook reader device 100. In a very basicconfiguration, the device 102 includes a processing unit 202 composedone of one or more processors, and memory 204. Depending on theconfiguration of a dedicated eBook reader device 100, the memory 204 isan example of computer storage media and may include volatile andnonvolatile memory. Thus, the memory 204 may include, but is not limitedto, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, or other memory technology, or anyother medium which can be used to store media items or applications anddata which can be accessed by the eBook reader device 100.

The memory 204 may be used to store any number of functional componentsthat are executable on the processing unit 202, as well as data andcontent items that are rendered by the eBook reader device 102. Thus,the memory 204 may store an operating system 206 and an eBook storagedatabase to store one or more content items 208, such as eBooks andaudio books. The memory may further include a memory portion designatedas an immediate page memory to temporarily store one or more pages of anelectronic book. The pages held by the immediate page memory are placedtherein a short period before a next page request is expected.

A user interface module 210 may also be provided in memory 204 andexecuted on the processing unit 202 to facilitate user operation of thedevice 100. The UI module 210 may provide menus and other navigationaltools to facilitate selection and rendering of the content items 208.The UI module 210 may further include a browser or other applicationthat facilitates access to sites over a network, such as websites oronline merchants.

A content presentation application 212 renders the content items 208.The content presentation application 212 may be implemented as variousapplications depending upon the content items. For instance, theapplication 212 may be an electronic book reader application for rendingelectronic books, or an audio player for playing audio books, or a videoplayer for playing video, and so forth.

The last screen rendering module 110 may also be implemented as asoftware module stored in memory 204 and executable on the processingunit 202. The last screen rendering module 110 detects screen conversionevents, such as time lapses, scheduled items, events set based on userbehavior, and so forth. Upon detecting a screen conversion event, thelast screen rendering module 110 directs the display 102 to presenteither (1) a visible representation associated with a content item thatthe user was last interacting with, or (2) a visible representationassociated with a different content item. In the case of electronicbooks, the last screen rendering module 110 may render images of coversassociated with the electronic books. In this manner, the eBook readerdevice is left standing with a screen depicting the cover of the lastbook that the reader was reading, or of the next book that the reader islikely to begin reading. Thus, the eBook reader device may be identifiedmore by the book's cover than as an electronic device. Since the ePaperdisplay can last for days or weeks or maybe even months, the cover imagemay remain visible on the device for long periods until the user onceagain begins interacting with the device.

The last screen rendering module 110 may implement different mechanismsfor determining when to render the last screen image. Illustratedmechanisms include a timer 214, a schedule 216, and a behavior monitor218.

The timer 214 is configured to detect when the user ceases interactingwith the eBook reader device 100 for a threshold period of time. Thethreshold period may be user configurable. In one implementation, thethreshold period is at least five minutes, although longer or shorterdurations are possible. When the timer 214 reaches the threshold period,a screen conversion event is generated, causing the last screenrendering module 110 to render a different image on the display 102 thatwill be visibly persist until the user once again begins interactingwith the eBook reader device 100. In the context of electronic books,the last screen rendering module 110 converts the screen image to thatof the book's cover, rather than a particular page.

The schedule 216 allows the user to schedule, expressly or indirectly,one or more screen conversion events. Generally, the scheduler 216enables the user to set a particular time of day, and/or day of week, asa screen conversion event in which to convert the display to an imagethat is associated with the same content item or another one. Forinstance, the user may schedule reading periods in advance of schoolclasses, such that at each scheduled event, the eBook reader device 100displays the cover image of eBook associated with the next class text.

There are different ways to implement the scheduler 216. In oneimplementation, the scheduler 216 offers a user interface that allowsthe user to define scheduled events in which to cause a screenconversion. In another implementation, the scheduler 216 works in thebackground to coordinate with a calendaring application (not shown) thatresides on the eBook reader device or on an external computing systemwith which the eBook reader device communicates. The scheduler 216imports from the calendaring application one or more scheduled eventspertaining to the consumption of content items on the eBook readerdevice. Moreover, this information may be pushed to the eBook readerdevice from a remote location over a network, such as a wirelessnetwork. For instance, the user may maintain a schedule or other eventsat an online service (e.g., computing cloud or service) that sends suchevents to the eBook reader device, and these events are used by the lastscreen rendering module 110 to convert the display screen.

The behavior monitor 218 establishes screen conversion events based onthe user's behavior. Over time, the behavior monitor 218 monitors userbehavior during interaction with the eBook reader device. As part ofthis monitoring, the behavior monitor 218 observes which content itemsthe user consumes at different times of day or days of the week. Thebehavior monitor 218 may identify, for example, one or more eBooks thatthe user may likely want to read based on past behavior. For example,the behavior monitor 218 may learn from observed patterns that the userreads the Bible each morning between 7:00 am and 8:00 am, and that theuser tends to read a book on architecture every Monday, Wednesday, andFriday, between 10:00 am and noon, in advance of a class at college.Further, the user may be found to listen to audio versions of sciencefiction novels most evenings, after 9:00 pm.

The behavior monitor 218 then establishes screen conversion eventsaround the observed activities, and associates one or more content itemsthat the users are likely to consume with screen conversion event. Forinstance, the behavior monitor 218 may set a screen conversion event forevery morning at, say, 6:45 am (in advance of the usual behavior of 7:00am to 8:00 am), and associate the Bible with this event. When the screenrendering module 110 detects this screen conversion event, it causes thedisplay to render a cover image of the Bible in anticipation of the userpicking up the eBook reader device to read the Bible at the regulartime.

As shown in both FIGS. 1 and 2, the eBook reader device 100 has adisplay 102. In one implementation, the display uses ePaper displaytechnology. As noted above, the ePaper display technology is bi-stable,meaning that it is capable of holding text or other rendered images evenwhen very little or no power is supplied to the display. Some exemplaryePaper-like displays that may be used with the implementations describedherein include bi-stable LCDs, MEMS, cholesteric, pigmentedelectrophoretic, and others. In other implementations, or for othertypes of devices, the display may be embodied using other technologies,such as LCDs and OLEDs, and may further include a touch screeninterface. In some implementations, a touch sensitive mechanism may beincluded with the display to form a touch-screen display.

In the same or different implementations, the display 102 may be aflexible display and further include a touch sensitive membrane, film,or other form of sensing material. The flexible display may bepositioned, for example, above a touch sensor(s). The touch sensor(s)may be a resistive touch sensitive film. The flexible display may alsoinclude a protective layer made of a flexible material such as plastic.The flexible display may also include a flexible backplane layer. Thebackplane may also be made of a flexible material, such as plastic,metal, glass or a polymer based material. A flexible backplane may bebendable, rollable, light-weight, etc. In one configuration, theflexible backplane is a matrix backplane on a plastic substrate.

The eBook reader device 100 may further be equipped with variousinput/output (I/O) components 220. Such components may include varioususer interface controls (e.g., buttons, joystick, keyboard, etc.), audiospeaker, microphone or audio input, connection ports, and so forth.

One or more communication interfaces 222 are provided to facilitatecommunication with external, remote computing sources over variousnetworks or with other local devices. Content (e.g., eBooks, magazines,audio books, etc.), program modules, and screen conversion events, maybe transferred to the eBook reader device 100 via the communicationinterfaces(s) 222. The communication interface(s) 222 support both wiredand wireless connection to various networks, such as cellular networks,radio, WiFi networks, short range networks (e.g., Bluetooth), IR, and soforth. The communication connection(s) 222 support both wired andwireless communications with various types of networks, including theInternet. For example, the eBook reader device 100 may be equipped witha radio frequency transceiver to facilitate wireless communication overa wireless network. The device may further include a communicationconnection that facilitates communication with other devices via, forexample, Bluetooth, radio frequency, or infrared connection(s). Thecommunication connection(s) 222 are one example of communication media.Communication media may typically be embodied by computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in amodulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transportmechanism, and includes any information delivery media.

The eBook reader device 102 also includes a battery and power controlunit 224. The power control unit operatively controls an amount ofpower, or electrical energy, consumed by the eBook reader device.Actively controlling the amount of power consumed by the reader devicemay achieve more efficient use of electrical energy stored by thebattery. The processing unit 202 may supply computing resources to thepower control unit 224, which may further include a clock/timer foraccurate control of power consumed by the eBook reader device 100.

The eBook reader device 100 may have additional features orfunctionality. For example, the eBook reader device 100 may also includeadditional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) suchas, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. The additionaldata storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storageof information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data. In some implementations the eBook readerdevice 100 may also include a vibrator 226 or other output device forcreating a haptic output that is detectable by a user touching the eBookreader device 102. The eBook reader device 100 may further include, insome implementations, an accelerometer 228 for detecting the orientationof the device.

FIG. 3 shows a general process 300 for converting a display of an eBookreader device from its current image to a last image that allows theeBook reader device to more readily convey an identity of a contentitem, such as the content item's cover. For ease of understanding, theprocess 300 (as well as processes 400 in FIG. 4, 500 in FIGS. 5, and 600in FIG. 6) is illustrated as a collection of blocks in a logical flowgraph, which represent a sequence of operations that can be implementedin hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In the context ofsoftware, the blocks represent computer-executable instructions that,when executed by one or more processors, perform the recited operations.Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs,objects, components, data structures, and the like that performparticular functions or implement particular abstract data types. Theorder in which the operations are described is not intended to beconstrued as a limitation, and any number of the described blocks can becombined in any order and/or in parallel to implement the process. Fordiscussion purposes, the process 300 is described with reference to theeBook reader device 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The process 300 begins during normal user interaction with the eBookreader device 100. During this time, the user is consuming contentitems, such as eBooks, audio books, and so forth. Accordingly, at 302,content from the content item is displayed on the eBook reader device.For example, the current page from an eBook or corresponding text froman audio book may be displayed on the eBook reader device while the useris consuming the content item.

At 304, a screen conversion event is detected. The screen conversionevents may be configured in various ways. In one approach, the screenconversion event may be tied to an explicit input from the user who isattempting to “power down” the eBook reader device, as represented bysub-act 304(1). The user may actuate a power control, for instance, thatdirects the eBook reader device to transition to a non-active state. Thelast screen rendering module 110 interprets this user input as a screenconversion event. In another approach, the screen conversion event is atimeout period, and hence, the detection occurs when the last screenrendering module 110 senses that the user has ceased engaging with theeBook reader device 100 for a threshold period of time, as representedby sub-act 304(2). In yet another approach, the screen conversion eventmay be a scheduled event, and hence, the detection occurs when the lastscreen rendering module 110 detects a previously scheduled event (suchas a calendar event), as represented by sub-act 304(3). In still anotherapproach, the screen conversion event may be an event stemming from pastuser behavior, and hence, the detection occurs when the last screenrendering module 110 monitors past user behavior and sets events basedthereon, as represented by sub-act 304(4).

At 306, in response to detecting the screen conversion event, a “last”image associated with the content item or another content item isdisplayed on the eBook reader device. This last image is an imageselected to convey a content item more readily to the user in thefuture. For instance, for eBooks, the last image may be a book cover, ora special composite that might include, for example, a title, author,last page read, reading statistics, and so forth. For newspapers ormagazines, the last image may be a cover page, a graphical title, or anyother combination of design elements that convey an identity of thenewspaper or magazine. For an audio book, the last image may be that ofthe audio book cover or a picture of the actor who is reading the book.

While FIG. 3 shows a general process, the following discussion providessome illustrative usage scenarios. In particular, three representativeusage scenarios are described: (1) screen conversion based on timelapse; (2) screen conversion based on date/time; and (3) screenconversion based on user behavior. These scenarios are merelyrepresentative and not intended to be exhaustive. Other permutations orvariations are possible. Further, for ease of discussion, each scenariois presented in the context of a user reading eBooks on the eBook readerdevice. However, the aspects described herein may be applied to othercontent items, such as audio books.

Screen Conversion Based on Time Lapse

In the first usage scenario, conversion to the last image on the eBookreader device is achieved by detecting a timeout period.

FIG. 4 shows a process 400 for changing the display of the eBook readerdevice to the last image based on time lapse since the user lastinteracted with the device. To aid understanding, the display of theeBook reader device 100 is depicted at certain times during the process400 to illustrate one example of how the screen may be changed topresent the last image.

At 402, content from an eBook is displayed on the eBook reader device.For illustration, the screen of the eBook reader device 100 is showndepicting a page from the eBook “Outliers”, by Malcolm Gladwell. Thispage is being shown on the device 100 at time T₁. Recall from above thata “page” as described herein may be understood as a virtual frame of thecontent, or a visual display window presenting the content to the user.The pages presented on the eBook reader device 100 may not corresponddirectly to the identical hard pages in the associated physical book.Depending on display capabilities, font size, and other such parameters,any given “page” displayed on the eBook reader device 100 may containmore or less text/graphics than the corresponding hard page.

At 404, a user input to power down the device, or a threshold period ofinactivity, following a period in which the user was regularlyinteracting with the eBook reader device, is detected. This inactivitymay be manifest in different ways, including by a failure to receive anyinput from the user (e.g., page turn request, navigation, adding anannotation, etc.) for a period of time, or by a failure to detect anymovement of the device by the accelerometer 228 (if present), or otherways.

At 406, in response to detection of the timeout period, the content onthe screen is replaced with a cover image of the eBook. Thus, at timeT₂, the cover image for the eBook “Outliers” is rendered as the lastimage on the eBook reader device 100(T₂). The cover image remainsvisible on the screen of the eBook reader device 100(T₂) until the useronce again begins interacting with the device, or until another screenconversion event occurs (e.g., calendar event or behavior-based event).Thus, the eBook reader device maintains an appearance of the book thatthe user is presently reading, rather than a generic electronic device.

At 408, it is determined whether the user resumes interaction with theeBook reader device. If not (i.e., the “No” branch from 408), the deviceremains in rest mode and the cover image persists on the screen.However, once the user resumes interaction with the device (i.e., the“Yes” branch from 408), the eBook reader device returns to the contentwhere the user left off Thus, at time T₃, the last page the user wasreading is displayed once again, at 410. As illustrated, the eBookreader device 100(T₃) shows the same page of the eBook “Outliers” as wasbeing depicted at time T₁ when the user stopped reading previously.

Screen Conversion Based on Scheduled Date/time

In another usage scenario, the eBook reader device renders the lastimage in response to a scheduled conversion event that is based on adate, a time-of-day, or both.

FIG. 5 shows a process 500 for changing the display of the eBook readerdevice to the last image in response to a scheduled screen conversionevent. To aid understanding, the display of the eBook reader device 100is depicted at two different times, T₁ and T₂, during the process 500 toillustrate one example of how the screen may be changed to present thelast image.

At 502, content from a first eBook is displayed on the eBook readerdevice. In this illustration, the screen of the eBook reader device 100depicts a page from the eBook “Outliers”. This page is being shown onthe device 100 at time T₁.

At 504, a scheduled event is detected during a period of userinactivity. The scheduled event may be entered by the user, or retrievedfrom querying a calendaring application. Further, the scheduled eventmay be pushed or retrieved from a remote source, such as a calendaringapplication on a separate computing device or from an online serviceavailable over a network. In this example, suppose the user schedulesperiodic times to read from the Bible at specified times of the day, anddays of the week.

At 506, in response to detecting a scheduled event, the cover image ofthe eBook associated with the scheduled event is depicted on the screenof the eBook reader device. In our continuing example, at time T₂, thecover image for the Bible is shown on the eBook reader device 100(T₂).In this example, the second eBook (e.g., Bible) is different from thefirst eBook (e.g., Outliers) that the user was last reading. However, insituations where the user was last reading the same eBook that is beingtriggered by the scheduled event, the cover image of the same book willappear.

Screen Conversion Based on User Behavior

In yet another usage scenario, conversion to the last image on the eBookreader device is achieved by observing user behavior and establishingscreen conversion events based on the behavior.

FIG. 6 shows a process 600 for changing the display of the eBook readerdevice to the last image based on observed patterns in user behavior. Asabove, the display of the eBook reader device 100 is depicted atdifferent times, T₁ and T₂, during the process 600 to illustrate oneexample of how the screen may be changed to present the last image.

At 602, user behavior during interaction with the eBook reader device100 is monitored over time. In this example, at time T1, the userhappens to be reading a page from the eBook “Outliers”.

At 604, one or more screen conversion events are established based onthe user behavior. For instance, the user may exhibit a pattern ofreading certain genre of eBooks during different times of the day ordays of the week. Such patterns may be tracked over time andstatistically analyzed. As one simple approach, the device may develop ahistogram that tracks the number of times a user reads particular eBooksat predefined times of day (e.g., morning, mid-day, evening) In FIG. 6,a simple histogram 605 showing the highest occurring genre of eBook inthe corresponding time slot. Thus, the Bible is the most often readeBook in the morning time slot, school texts during the mid-day timeslot, and novels at night. Based on this behavior, three screenconversion events—morning, mid-day, and evening—may be established tochange the image displayed on the screen of the eBook reader device.

At 606, eBooks that the user is likely to read in the various time slotsare identified. For instance, the eBook reader device may identifycertain school texts that the user is currently consuming and certainnovels that the user has not yet completed.

At 608, the identified eBooks are associated with the screen conversionevents. Thus, the school texts are associated with a screen conversionevent that is set for mid-day, and the novels are associated with thescreen conversion event that is set for evening

At 610, a screen conversion event is detected. Suppose, for example,that the screen conversion event is the one set to mid-day.

At 612, in response to detecting this event, the cover image of an eBookthat is associated with the screen conversion event is displayed. Inthis example, since the screen conversion event is at mid-day, the useris likely to read a school text based on past behavior. Thus, at timeT₂, the cover image of the text “Macro Economics” is rendered on theeBook reader display 100(T₂).

Last Image with Progress Information

In addition to rendering a last image, the eBook reader device mayfurther provide progress information that helps the user understand howmuch of the content item has been consumed, and what remains. Theprogress information may be in the form of a textual summary, such ashow many pages are in the eBook, what page the user last read, thepercentage of the book that has been read and/or unread, and so forth.Alternatively, the progress information may be a graphical element thatconveys progress through the content item.

FIGS. 7-9 show three different examples of graphical elements thatconvey progress. In FIG. 7, the progress indicator is implemented bymodifying the last image based on the amount of progress made throughthe content item. Here, the eBook reader device 100 shows the cover ofthe school text “Macro Economics” as a last image 700 on the screen 102.A progress indicator 704 visually modifies the cover image by changing apart of the cover image in proportion to the amount of the eBook theuser has read. In FIG. 7, the progress indicator 704 shows the coverimage changing from the bottom to the top, thereby giving the appearanceof the image filling as the user reads more of the eBook. Here, the useris approximately half way through the text, as graphically representedby the modified lower half of the image. The top of the filled portionfurther includes a non-linear delineator 706 to provide an appearancethat the cover image is being filled with a liquid (e.g., water) asprogress is made. This is just one possible way to modify the coverimage, and many others are possible.

FIG. 8 shows another implementation in which the progress indicator is aprogress bar 800 that is provided somewhere on the display 102 of theeBook reader device 100. In this example, the progress bar 800 isarranged horizontally across a lower part of the last image 802. Theprogress bar 800 includes a slider element 804 that grows within ahollow predefined region 806 to represent a proportion of the eBookcompleted. As the user reads, the slider element 804 fills more and moreof the predefined region 806. Upon completion, the slider element 804entirely fills the predefined region 806.

FIG. 9 shows yet another implementation in which the progress indicatoris embodied as a pie graph 900 positioned on the display 102 of theeBook reader device 100. In this example, the progress pie graph 900 ispositioned in the lower right-hand corner of the last image 902,although other locations are possible. The progress pie graph 900includes a fill element 904 that enlarges as a leading edge 906 sweepsthrough a predefined circular region 908, akin to a minute arm of aclock moving over a clock face. As the user reads, the fill element 904fills more of the predefined circular region 908. Upon completion, thefill element 904 entirely fills the predefined circular region 908.

These are just three possible examples. Other representations ofprogress may be implemented, and the progress indicators may beintegrated with the cover image, or overlaid as a separate element.

CONCLUSION

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather,the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms ofimplementing the claims.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A method comprising: causing, by an electronicdevice, display of content from an electronic book via a display that isassociated with the electronic device; detecting at least one of (i)user input to transition the electronic device to a non-active state or(ii) a period of user inactivity with the electronic device; andresponsive to the detecting and by the electronic device, causingdisplay of, via the display, content that is different than the contentfrom the electronic book.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein thedetecting comprises detecting a period of user inactivity with theelectronic device from identifying that user input has not been receivedfor a threshold period of time.
 23. The method of claim 21, wherein thedetecting comprises detecting a period of user inactivity with theelectronic device from identifying that movement of the electronicdevice has not been detected for a threshold period of time.
 24. Themethod of claim 21, further comprising: detecting occurrence of ascheduled event during a period of user inactivity with the electronicdevice; and responsive to detecting occurrence of the scheduled event,causing display of content representing another electronic book.
 25. Themethod of claim 21, further comprising: determining that userinteraction with the electronic device has resumed; and upon determiningthat user interaction with the electronic device has resumed, causingdisplay of content of the electronic book that was last displayed priorto displaying the content that is different than the content from theelectronic book.
 26. A system comprising: one or more processors; memoryaccessible by the one or more processors; and one or more modules storedin the memory and executable by the one or more processors to: causecontent of an electronic book to be presented via a bi-stable display;detect at least one of (i) user input that requests a transition of thesystem to a non-active state, (ii) a period of user inactivity with thesystem, (iii) occurrence of a behavior-based event learned fromobserving user behavior when interacting with the system or (iv)occurrence of a scheduled event from a calendar application; andresponsive to the detecting, cause information to be presented via thebi-stable display.
 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the informationidentifies an author of the electronic book.
 28. The system of claim 26,wherein the information includes a progress indicator illustrating userprogress through the electronic book.
 29. The system of claim 26,wherein the information includes a picture.
 30. The system of claim 26,wherein the information comprises a cover image of the electronic book.31. The system of claim 26, wherein the information includes at leastone of information that identifies a last page that was consumed of theelectronic book or a reading statistic.
 32. The system of claim 26,further comprising the bi-stable display.
 33. The system of claim 32,wherein the bi-stable display is configured to maintain presentation ofthe information when no power is supplied to the bi-stable display. 34.One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having storedtherein instructions, which when executed by an electronic device thatis associated with an ePaper-type display, cause the electronic deviceto perform acts comprising: causing display of content from a contentitem via the ePaper-type display; detecting a screen conversion eventthat comprises at least one of (i) user input that requests a transitionof the electronic device to a non-active state, (ii) a period of userinactivity with the electronic device, (iii) a behavior-based event or(iv) a scheduled event from a calendar; and responsive to the detecting,causing display of an image via the ePaper-type display.
 35. The one ormore non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 34, whereinthe acts further comprise: monitoring user behavior with the electronicdevice; identifying one or more content items based at least in part onthe user behavior; and associating the one or more content items withthe screen conversion event; wherein the screen conversion eventcomprises the behavior-based event, and.
 36. The one or morenon-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 35, wherein theimage represents the one or more content items that are associated withthe screen conversion event.
 37. The one or more non-transitory computerreadable storage media of claim 35, wherein the monitoring comprisesobserving which content items are consumed at different times of the dayor week.
 38. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storagemedia of claim 35, wherein the monitoring comprises deriving a patternof user consumption of the one or more content items.
 39. The one ormore non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 34, whereinthe screen conversion event comprises the user input that requests thetransition of the electronic device to the non-active state.
 40. The oneor more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 34,wherein the screen conversion event comprises the period of userinactivity with the electronic device.